Begging in the Darkness
by Biscuit15
Summary: AU. When Squalo gets a new transfer student at his school, he has to choose between being a guardian figure or something more to his student. He knows he should keep things strictly professional, but it's hard to do so when it feels like every day he's falling more in love with the boy he can relate to more than he cares to admit. Squalo x Bel, yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

It was true that Squalo hadn't held his position of Vice Principal for long, but he had been there long enough to be able to recognise a troubled student when he saw one. It had been the day of the enrolment, when Belphegor had sat silently in his chair and stared out of the window as his parents complained about his academic skills in his previous schools. The blond didn't seem to be listening to them at all, almost as if he were used to hearing this kind of thing from them and already knew exactly what was to be said and just wasn't interested in hearing it again.

"I just don't understand why he can't be half as intelligent as his brother!" His mother, a woman with long, golden hair that curled at the ends, batted her eyelashes thick with mascara – an upper-class family, Squalo could see. "I mean, they're _twins,_ for god's sake! And yet he can't do _anything_ right! All he does is sit in his damn room all day with his bloody games! I've never seen such dismal grades in my _life!"_

Squalo kept his mouth shut at he glanced at the boy sitting in between his parents. He wasn't oblivious to the way the younger twitched at these words, but Bel otherwise said nothing; he just continued to stare out of the window and watch the cars pass by on the street.

"Well, is there a reason for that?" Knowing to keep himself calm with the parents, Squalo looked over the paperwork that was waiting to be filled in; he couldn't raise his voice at them or else it would only cause trouble for him and the school. "Does he study?"

The boy's father, who had dark hair and glasses, scoffed. There was an air of arrogance around him that Squalo didn't like, but the long-haired man didn't say anything; he just waited for the answer. "Study? I don't think the little shit even _knows_ the _meaning_ of study. Unlike Rasiel, who works so hard for his perfect marks. _This_ thing is an embarrassment to my family; I'm ashamed to even be here with it right now as I'd much rather people not knowing my wife and I are burdened with it."

Squalo frowned. No _wonder_ something seemed off about Bel; if he had to endure this daily… "I'm sure we can find a way to encourage him to improve his grades…"

"Can you try and fix the rest of him, too?" Again, it was the woman's disgusted tone filling the air. "There's that much wrong with him, and if I'd have known how pathetic he was going to turn out to be, I'd have aborted him."

The long-haired man bit his lip. He couldn't deny that these words angered him, but if he lost his temper, things would end badly; he would just have to complete the enrolment process in silence and hope that somewhere down the track, he would be able to do something to help his new student. "…"

"Isn't that right, honey? That depression crap is just in his head. What was the other retardation the doctor said he has?"

"I don't know; some shit that's not even real. That doctor doesn't know what they're talking about; he's just making shit up for attention. He's fucked in the head, but he's not depressed."

Squalo couldn't help but clench his hands in frustration; it sickened him to hear someone talking about their kid like this, and he would be more than happy to punch some sense into the boy's father if it wouldn't cost him his job. "…So why is Belphegor leaving his old school…?"

"Because the stupid piece of shit started a fight and got himself kicked out. He's never gotten an ass whooping as good as he got for that little stunt."

"…You _are_ aware that I'm in a position of authority to do what I deem is best for my students, right?" Squalo wasn't stupid; he could see already that the blond was in an abusive household, and he wanted nothing more than to contact child protection here and now and report it, but he was hesitant; the last time he had tried to do the right thing by one of his students, the student hadn't been removed from their parents and the abuse had gotten worse enough for the student to commit suicide – the last thing he wanted was to remember the guilt he had felt when he had been told his student would never be attending classes again. "I do not approve at all of the way you're speaking about your kid."

"Do you really think we give a shit what you think? He's a pathetic waste of space and doesn't deserve your pity."

Squalo could feel himself losing his temper. He forced himself to remain silent and instead look over at Bel. The kid hadn't turned away from the window, and though he looked rather agitated, Squalo could sense an air of depression about the younger. It wouldn't have surprised the man if his new student _was_ depressed, because he had been down that road himself and he could understand family could make it more of a hell than it already was.

"He can start tomorrow. I'll have everything organised by the end of today." Squalo didn't usually like his students starting so soon after enrolment; he liked to give it a few days so that everything was finalised and no one was rushing around to accommodate someone else. But after seeing the way Bel was being treated, he just wanted to get the kid away from his parents as soon as he could. He wasn't sure if he would be able to make another phone call regarding the blond's obvious mistreatment because he was still trying to recover from the feeling of guilt over having lost another student to something similar, but damnit, if he could find a way to help, he would do so.

The last of the paperwork was slid across the desk and towards Squalo. The boy's mother stood up with a glare at her son while her husband finished the conversation with the vice principal. Squalo didn't care what he was saying; he was too busy biting his tongue as he listened to the woman.

"Belphegor, get your fat, pathetic ass up from that chair! No wonder you're so fat; you can't even get up and walk for five minutes!"

Squalo clenched his hands beneath his desk; that kid was _not_ fat. If anything, Bel could actually stand to gain a few pounds because beneath that oversized striped shirt, the boy looked to be far too skinny for his age.

When the trio left, Squalo knew he had to do something. He wouldn't dare call child protection services just yet; if they tried to investigate and couldn't find reason to remove Bel, he could have another suicide on his hands. Instead, he would have to try and gain the younger's trust and help him out of the situation in whatever way he could.

Squalo was a lot of things, but heartless, he was _not_.

 _ **~~XX~~**_

As promised, Squalo had worked hard to make sure that Bel would be ready for tomorrow morning; he wasn't going to let the kid stay with his parents for any longer than he already had to. It had been a lot of work, but in the end, it was worth it; if he could get just one of his students out of a shitty situation, he would do anything he could.

"It's not like you to want to put a student into school straight away."

Squalo glanced up at his best friend's voice. He had gone out for lunch with the older male after school, needing someone to talk to. "The brat's got a shit family. It was disgusting what they were saying about him. They said he has mental illnesses and they made out like it was a retardation or some shit. It really pissed me off…"

The blond sitting across from Squalo understood; he had known the long-haired man for over ten years, and one thing that he, and only a handful of other people, knew was that Squalo, too, had come out of an abusive family and suffered depression from it. "You should report it, Squalo; he might be physically abused, too."

Squalo fixed his friend, an older blond named Dino, with a tired look. "You think I don't want to? I _do_ want to report it, but how do you think I feel knowing I got one of my students killed when I tried to help them? If I didn't make that report…"

Dino could see where his friend was coming from. He couldn't understand it himself, but despite how prideful the younger was, Squalo was still human, and he could feel hurt just like everyone else. He knew how shaken up the smaller male had been after the police had visited the school and told them what had happened, and the last thing he wanted was to stress his friend more. "…I really think you should make a report. I can do it for you if it'll make you feel better."

"No, because you'll feel like shit if something happens over it." Squalo shook his head. "Just let me deal with it; I want to at least find out if there'll be enough evidence to help him before I do anything. I don't want it reported and nothing being done, because it'll fall back on him. Trust me on that…"

The blond knew not to doubt the younger's words; he remembered a time when they were teenagers, and Squalo had been black and blue with bruises. Someone had reported it, and despite the evidence, his parents had convinced authorities that their son was simply being bullied at school. The next time Dino had seen him after that, it was with a broken arm and welts on his back.

Dino knew it was a delicate situation; they were required by law to report suspected abuse, but even so, when the pros and cons were weighed, what were they supposed to do? Report it, and escalate the situation when nothing is done? Or not report it, and risk losing another student?HH

"Promise me you'll report it as soon as you feel is appropriate, then." Dino picked at his takoyaki in discomfort; how sick he was feeling from the situation…

Squalo nodded. "Yeah, I'm not fuckin' stupid… I just don't want shit falling on him; he probably gets enough of it at home… Anyway, I've put him into your class, so keep an eye on him. I said before he's supposed to have mental illnesses, so watch what you're doing."

Dino nodded. He knew it wasn't his business to question what his new student suffered from, and if the other wanted him to know, he could tell Dino himself when he was ready. "What's his name?"

"Belphegor. He didn't say a word in my office; pretty quiet. I think he's been bullied at his old school, too. Don't let the other brats get into him."

The blond chuckled. "You know, you're a pretty nice guy when you're not screaming cuss words at someone. A stranger might mistake you for a gentleman one day."

"Fuck off!"

Dino laughed again. "Tsuna never believed me when I told him you're really a softie at heart; he's so scared of you, he doesn't think it's possible for you to have a nice bone in your body. Should I videotape this moment for him? Mean old Squalo looking out for his students? Then again, the whole school might think it's fake."

"You're such a fucking asshole!" Squalo didn't care for the eyes that were now fixed on him; he was embarrassed to know that the whole school had the wrong idea of him – well, it was true he'd never really shown them anything but his pissed off side, but still…! He could have his moments of kindness… "Why do I even hang out with you?! That's what _you_ think, isn't it, you bastard?! I looked after your damn turtle for you when you were on holidays, too!"

Dino smiled brightly as he tried to stop laughing. "I was joking, Squalo. Not everyone thinks wrongly of you. They just don't know you well enough to know that you can be nice when you want to be."

Squalo sighed. He dropped his chin to his hand as he turned to look out of the window. It was true he was caring at heart, but he had been hurt a lot in his life, and it wasn't easy for him to show it; he could only seem to get angry at himself for reasons he couldn't quite comprehend, and then the anger directed onto everyone around him. It wasn't fair for anyone, he knew, but he couldn't help it; the more he tried to harness his anger and show a bit of vulnerability, the angrier he only seemed to become.

But Squalo couldn't get mad at Bel because he knew what it was like to not want to talk to anyone and instead be left alone, and he could appreciate that.


	2. Chapter 2

Squalo usually got to work much earlier than everyone else so that he could get things done without being disturbed, so when he heard slow footsteps approaching his office, he was confused; no one else should be here already…

The man stood up from his desk so that he could poke his head out of the office and see who else had arrived at the crack of dawn, and to his honest surprise, he found Bel treading the corridor in what almost seemed to be a dazed manner; was the boy okay?

"Bel, what are you doing here?" Squalo stepped out of the office so that he could stop his student. "You don't need to be here for a few more hours yet. Even the other faculty won't be here so early. You should still be in bed sleeping."

The boy shrugged. "Can I have my stuff? I want to find my classroom and wait."

Squalo blinked. He looked between Bel and his watch, and the more he saw the digital numbering showing five-o-six, the more he wanted to grab the boy and shake him until he told him why the fuck he was here almost four hours before any of the other students. Instead, he took a deep breath and stepped back into his office. "It's all on my desk. Your classroom is on the second floor, and your teacher's name is Dino. He's already expecting you."

Bel didn't reply; he took his books from the vice principal and then left the office to find his new classroom. Squalo shook his head, not knowing what to think; why would a student come to school so early like this…? It was extremely worrying for him, but he knew better than to drill his student; he would have to wait for Bel to get to know him before he tried to reach out because if he were to force himself onto the other, it would only create more distance between them and he would never be able to help the boy.

Time had a habit of passing by without Squalo realising, and the next time he looked at his wristwatch, he found it was already seven-thirty, and the sounds of life could be heard around him; other teachers were arriving. He bit his lip, wondering where Bel was and what he was doing; surely by now the other would be incredibly restless.

The man left the office. He nodded in acknowledge to the other teachers he passed, but he didn't stop to chat to any of them; he instead made his way directly up to the second floor so that he could check Bel's classroom first. What he found honestly broke his heart, and he wished Dino was here with him so that he could consult with someone about what he was supposed to do; did he just… go over there and…?

"Bel…?" Squalo crept closer to the doorway of the classroom. He crouched down by the boy sleeping on his side in front of it, using his backpack as a pillow. He held his hand out in the air, but what did he do now? Did he touch, or did he only use his voice to wake the other? "Belphegor, wake up."

When the boy remained still as a statue, Squalo threw all concern over what other people would think of him out of his mind, and he reached out and scooped his student up into his arms. He held the younger close, and for several seconds, he almost _smiled_ at the warmth radiating off the boy – but then it all disappeared when the other awoke with a whimper and elbowed him in the chest.

"Oww! Fuck!" Squalo hissed in pain. He put his student back down onto the ground, almost disappointed; he had really enjoyed the idea of taking Bel back to his office and letting the blond sleep on his couch until classes were starting. "What was that for, brat?"

"Don't touch me!" Bel stomped back to where he had been sleeping previously. He picked his bag up again and hugged it tight against him, glaring furiously at the principal. He trembled, but the long-haired man wasn't entirely sure if it were from nerves or anger. "Don't _fucking_ touch me."

Squalo raised his hands in defence. "Whoa, brat, I just didn't want you sleeping in the corridor where people are going to start stepping on you. If you're really that tired, you can sleep in my office; you've still got an hour."

Bel shook his head. He rotated himself so that his back was to Squalo, a silent indicator that he was no longer interested in talking to the other. The man sighed, but he wouldn't prod; he was honestly too busy wondering if what he was feeling right now was how _he_ had made Dino feel during their school years together, when he would shut himself off from the world and act cold towards everyone around him. If he had ever made Dino feel how Bel was making him feel now…

Well, Squalo was truly remorseful, because this didn't feel good at all.

"Well, if you change your mind, my office will be more comfortable to sleep in." Squalo turned around to leave. He heard the other mutter beneath his breath and call him a pedo, and even though it stung, he showed no acknowledgement; Bel just didn't know him yet.

Squalo was absentminded during his walk back to the office corridors, but he didn't return to his own; he bypassed it and went straight to the principal's office. He didn't bother knocking because it was unlikely for the other to even be here so early anyway, but to his surprise, he found the raven-haired male kicking back at the desk with a bottle of whiskey in hand.

"Isn't it too fuckin' early to be drinkin'?" Squalo kicked the door shut behind him before he moved to bring another chair around so he could sit next to his boss. He sighed as he dropped his head onto the taller male's shoulder, comforted by the proximity. "You know what? I don't even care. Lussuria probably dragged you out here and that's why you're here before midday. I'd be drinking as well if I had to put up with him this early."

The other snorted. He rolled his shoulders as he made himself more comfortable. "This whole shitty job is enough for me to drink at all hours. Remind me why I'm here again?"

"Fuck knows. Certainly not because you love kids. …Hey, Xanxus? We got a new student yesterday and they've been sleeping at their classroom door since five this morning. I'm worried…"

"You're always worried, shitty shark." The man named Xanxus pushed the other away from him so he could stand up and grab a bottle of wine from his storage shelf. "You're too uptight. Relax, will ya? You creep me out when you get all clingy. Go bother your boyfriend."

The long-haired man caught the bottle of wine that was tossed to him. He frowned. "Bucking Horse isn't my boyfriend…"

"That isn't what everyone else believes. Take that shit and fuck off; I got sleep to catch up on."

Squalo rolled his eyes. "You're a shitty friend anyway…"

"Not shitty enough since nothing I can do is enough to keep you away from me. Go suck your boyfriend off and leave me alone."

Squalo sighed. He said nothing as he left the office and returned to his own. He was worried about leaving Bel alone; he didn't want any bullies to target him, and though he trusted Dino to take good care of the student, there was still the issue that Dino couldn't babysit him all throughout the school hours. He walked back into his office and dropped himself at his desk with a huge sigh. "Kids are fucking assholes sometimes…"

The man dropped his head to hisnd palm as he tried to work out what he was supposed to do. He knew he shouldn't have touched that kid because if Bel really _was_ abused, he had done the worst thing possible in touching someone who didn't even know him.

"Fuck, I hate my life…" With that said, Squalo grabbed the wine bottle Xanxus had given him and pulled the cork out. He knew Dino hated it when he drank his problems away, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself.

 _ **~~XX~~**_

Squalo hated dragging himself out of his office during lunchbreaks because leaving his sanctuary meant there would be socialising with people he didn't care about, but neither Dino nor his friend, Lussuria, had shown up to his office like they usually did. He was frustrated because he hated eating alone, and though he could always go bother Xanxus, he would be interrupting on the other's _private_ time which was always suicide – so he was left with no choice but to go and find out what was more important than _he_ was.

The school infirmary was empty, so Lussuria had obviously left his post as the nurse. If that was the case, Squalo would go check Dino's classroom, and if he was gone as well and neither of his friends were waiting for him at his office, he was going to get pissed.

To his surprise, he found both of his friends in Dino's classroom, hunched over what appeared to be a student splayed across their desk. "Oi, fuckers, what happened to having lunch with me?"

Dino turned around to frown at his best friend. He moved away so that Squalo could see the unmoving Bel, still at his desk despite class having ended twenty minutes ago. "I was trying to wake him up, but… Squalo, he isn't waking up."

"The fuck?" Squalo chewed at his lip. "Lussuria, what's wrong with him?"

Lussuria turned around. "I don't know, sweetheart. I think we should call an ambulance; he should be seen to by a neurologist right away."

The long-haired man pulled his phone from his pocket with the intention of dialling emergency services, but just before he could make the input, Bel stirred and lifted his head from the desk.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Lussuria leant forward with the intention of putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"No, don't touch -!" Squalo winced at the crack of fists hitting jawbone. He frowned, and though he knew he shouldn't be letting physical assault go like this, he didn't have it in him to reprimand his student; Bel was just acting out, disorientated and threatened by someone the principal was certain Bel had never met before. He was glad his friend wasn't one to lash out in these kinds of moments because he really wasn't in the mood for breaking up a fight. He stepped in between the two. "Lussuria, back the fuck up and give him space; no one wants your face in theirs like that!"

Lussuria rubbed at his jaw, but he didn't respond; Dino had already told him about Bel's situation, and he couldn't hold it against the younger if he was indeed being abused at home. "…"

Squalo turned around to face Bel. "Brat, do you usually do that shit? Not wake up?"

The boy's expression was blank, and he offered no answer to the question. Instead, he muttered, "I'm going back to sleep…"

Squalo chewed at his lip for a few seconds before he lowered his voice. "Hey, brat, what were you doing at school so early this morning? Are you not getting enough REM sleep?"

Bel shrugged. "Does it matter? You don't care. We both know you don't. Don't pretend you do."

Dino stepped in. In a soft voice, he asked, "What makes you think he doesn't care, Bel? You don't know him."

"No one cares... Why would he be any different?"

Squalo opened his mouth to retort, but his voice caught in his throat when blond bangs parted and he glimpsed purple eyes that showed nothing but sadness. There was no life in them; they were empty, as if Bel himself was soulless, and anger he hadn't felt in years washed over him; to see someone so young and innocent reflecting back at him how _he_ had once been brought back emotions he had tried so hard to bury.

The long-haired man reached out and grabbed Bel's sleeve.

"Hey, what you doing?!" Bel raised his voice as he tried to pull away, but Squalo was a lot stronger than him. "Let me go!"

"Voi! Brat, you're coming to my office and you're going to have lunch with us!" The tone in Squalos' voice left no room for argument. "If you want to sleep, that's fine; there's a fucking couch in there you can use. But you're not going out there where you're going to be bullied by the other kids! You're staying with us!"

"You're such a fucking liar! You don't care about me! You're just gonna -!" Bel cut himself off, and as if it were all happening in slow-motion, a huge frown crossed his face. Squalo could see the anxiety, the fear and sadness – the _self-loathing_ in that damned expression, and it only made him pull the younger to his feet.

Forcing himself to use the most neutral tone he possessed, Squalo said, "Come on; you've already wasted half of your lunchbreak."

With a sigh that honestly sounded as if he had resigned himself to the worst fate possible, Bel lowered his head as he followed. What was the point in resisting? It would only get him hurt worse – he may as well just get it over and done with and then he could go back to sleep and hope he'd never wake up again. "Whatever… Just make it fast…"

Squalo said nothing as his small group walked back to his office; he was too busy grinding his teeth in anger; whatever was going through his student's mind, he didn't like it.

It wasn't until the group of four had stepped back into the vice principal's office did Bel break the uncomfortable silence. He tensed as he looked all around him, and what he said broke the adults' hearts. "Where are all of the cameras?"

Dino and Lussuria looked at each other while Squalo's jaw almost dropped to the ground. Lussuria cleared his throat and diverted his gaze anywhere but at the student while Dino mumbled, "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Squalo knew that if he said anything, he would only make the situation worse than it already was, so he did the only thing he could think of and pointed to the couch. Bel frowned, but he did as instructed – the only problem was, he tried going further and started taking his shirt off.

"Voi!" Squalo's eyes were full of anger, and he didn't care that he had startled Bel; all that mattered was stopping his student from stripping in his fucking office. "What are you doing?! Keep your fucking clothes on! Just…! Just sit there, and… And… do whatever you want…"

Bel didn't understand; why did these adults want him to keep his clothing on? Everyone else he met would tear the fabric from his body within seconds. He looked to his lap, too uncomfortable to comment; he didn't do well in unfamiliar situations, and this was the most unfamiliar thing he had ever come across.

It was Lussuria who spoke. "Sweetheart, why are you trying to take off your shirt…? And why are you asking about cameras…? Does… Does someone at home… make you take your clothes off…?"

Bel growled, and when he spoke, it was in an angry shout. "Don't talk to me like I'm a little kid! I'm sixteen! Not some stupid six-year-old who doesn't know what rape is!"

All three adults knew the answer to Lussuria's question, but it was Squalo who stopped the conversation from happening. "Don't ask him things like that! He'll talk to us when he wants to!"

Lussuria sighed. He glanced down at his wristwatch before he made a startled noise. "I almost forgot! I'm supposed to take Xanxus into town! He's going to kill me if I'm late!"

Squalo shrugged. He sat down at his desk and opened one of the drawers to get his lunch. He took the lid of the bento and was just about to dig his chopsticks in before he stopped and looked over to Bel. He frowned. "Have you got anything to eat for lunch?"

Bel shook his head, and he said nothing; he just laid down on the couch and turned to stare out of the window. Squalo didn't hesitate to tip some of his lunch onto the lid of his container and take it over to his student. He placed it on the coffee table between them as he and the boy stared at each other.

"You can eat that; it was my lunch, but you can have some, too." Squalo wasn't going to force the other to eat, so he instead went back to his own chair so that he could talk to Dino until Bel felt comfortable enough to join them.

However, to Squalo's immense disappointment, Bel didn't touch the food he had been offered; he instead turned his back to the other adults and went to sleep. There was one thing Squalo knew for certain; the second Bel started to trust him, he was going to get the blond to help gather evidence for the man to get him away from that household. Until then, he would just keep doing his best to be a support for his student, no matter how distant and closed off the younger was.


	3. Chapter 3

Squalo was far from stupid; he knew full-well that what he was doing was illegal and could get him into huge amounts of trouble, but every time the man pondered over making a report to child protection about Belphegor, he remembered the immense guilt that still consumed him because he had failed at protecting one of his students. It wasn't that Squalo didn't care; he cared _a lot_ , but all he could think about was what would happen if the boy's parents were to be investigated and yet again, it was inconclusive. Would Bel suffer worse at their hands? Or would the man have a repeat suicide to try and deal with…?

It was agonising to think about these things, and all the man could do was get up from his desk and go for a walk to try and clear his mind; he was only going to stress himself further if he didn't stop thinking, after all.

To Squalo's surprise, he soon found Bel sitting outside of his classroom, with his back against the wall and an angry expression on his face. The blond cocked his head slightly as he noticed the other's footsteps, but he otherwise gave no acknowledgement to his vice principal.

"Bel?" Squalo didn't hesitate to approach the younger. "What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be in class."

"The teacher kicked me out." It was clear Bel was moody; his voice was strained and he made no attempt at disguising the anger he felt.

"What?" The man narrowed his eyes. Dino was off sick, and so a substitute was taking his classes. He had completely neglected to consider this earlier, and it seemed that he had made yet another mistake. "Why?"

"Because I wouldn't do my work." The boy kicked his leg out in frustration, and Squalo could tell he was on edge. "They kept yelling at me to do it and threatened to send me to you, so I yelled back and said I didn't give a shit. Then they kicked me out."

The long-haired male sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, doing his best to stay calm; it wouldn't do to upset his student any more than he already was. In as soft a voice as he could manage, he asked, "Why wouldn't you do it, Belphegor?"

All of a sudden, the aura of anger became so thick, it was almost suffocating. Bel made an agitated sound, but he otherwise said nothing. Squalo saw through this, and it was then he knew what he needed to do. "Do you want to go to the library with me and try to get through it together?"

Bel's anger was quickly replaced by one of uncertainty. He shifted for several seconds before he ducked his head. "…"

The man sighed. "Have you even _had_ someone care enough to help you learn, Bel?"

"…"

Squalo closed his eyes. "I know how it feels… To feel like you've got no one you can depend on… People yell and scream at you, 'Do this', and 'Do that'… But they don't care enough to help you learn _how_ to do it… I know how it feels, Bel; I really do. My family was like that, too."

Bel finally lifted his head. He clenched his jaw for several seconds before he finally mumbled, "…I don't know _how_ to do maths… No one would teach it to me…"

" _I'll_ teach you, Bel. Go get your stuff and we'll work in the library."

The blond didn't know why he listened for once, but he found himself getting back to his feet and entering the classroom so he could get his books from his desk. He ignored the teacher yelling further at him; he was honestly much too focused on trying to decide whether or not he could trust Squalo.

And then finally, when Bel had gathered his belongings and started walking with Squalo to the library, he couldn't help but look up at the vice principal and ask, "If you had trouble with school, too, then why are you here…?"

"To be honest with ya, Bel, I don't even fuckin' know. I guess it was the only thing I felt like I was good at, and I knew I'd have Bucking Horse with me if I needed him. Speaking of him, is he good to you in class?"

The boy shrugged. "He hasn't yelled at me yet if that's what you're asking…"

"So he's nice to you?"

Bel shrugged again. "I don't know… He just hasn't yelled yet… He's the only teacher… who hasn't made me feel bad about myself for being so dumb…"

"You're not stupid, Bel; you just haven't had anyone to help you learn." Squalo frowned when the boy suddenly stopped walking. "Bel?"

"I don't want to go to the library; I don't like it there. I want to go to your office instead." The younger pointed to the door they were just about to pass.

Squalo couldn't help but frown; was it because his office had been the only place the younger had felt safe at here…? He didn't know for sure, but either way, he didn't have the heart to say no. He nodded as he grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to let them both in. "Sit at the desk; there's plenty of room there."

Bel gave the other no acknowledgement, but he still did as he was told; he sat carefully on the chair closest to the door in case he needed to make an escape and then laid all his belongings out along the hardwood. He waited until Squalo had sat next to him before he said anything. "Now what…?"

"Now we learn." Squalo grabbed one of the textbooks so he could see what it was. It was a science one, and he flicked through it quickly before he asked, "What are you having the most trouble with?"

"…" Bel tensed greatly before he muttered, "…Everything…"

The long-haired man didn't want his student to feel more ashamed of himself than he already did, so with the most patience he had had in perhaps forever, he put the textbook down and said, "Let's start with some math. We'll get the hardest stuff out of the way first and then we can work on something easier."

Bel nodded. He watched as gloved hands took all of his math stuff and opened it all in front of them. He didn't mind the silence as Squalo checked everything the boy was supposed to be learning; it was actually… kind of peaceful right now…

"Alright. So you're supposed to be learning algebra in class." Squalo flicked through the textbook until he came across the correct chapter. He pointed to a list of questions printed in his handouts before he said, "These are the questions your teacher wants you to do, so I'll go through all of them with you until you start to get an idea of how to do it."

Bel was still very tense for the first fifteen minutes, but once he learnt that Squalo wasn't going to yell or get angry at him for not knowing how to do the questions, he was slowly able to relax. He found that the more he relaxed, the easier it was for him to understand what Squalo was trying to teach him, and the smiles he received when he was finally able to work out how to answer questions himself was enough to put his own tiny smile on his face.

"Hey, Bel."

Bel looked up from where he had been writing formulas in his notes. "Yeah?"

Squalo took a deep breath; he hoped Bel wasn't going to take this the wrong way because he truly wanted nothing more than to be able to get the boy away from his home environment and _help_ the younger. "…If you want, I don't usually go home until late, so I don't mind staying here after school and tutoring you."

Bel cocked his head to the side. Part of him wanted to say yes so he didn't have to go home and put up with everything he did, but at the same time… How would his parents react if they were forced to come and get him every day…? "…"

"Of course, I can take you home if you want me to, and I'll even speak to your parents on your behalf to make sure that they're okay with it."

The boy ducked his head as he stared at his lap. "…I want to… But I don't know if they'll let me… I have… _duties_ … after school…"

Squalo was tender as he asked, "Do you mind if I ask you what kind of duties you have? Perhaps I could get your parents to reconsider."

"…They wouldn't reconsider…" The despair in Bel's voice was so thick, Squalo was sure the younger was trying not to cry.

"You really don't want to go back home, do you…?" Squalo reached out and ever-so-gently patted his student's head. He said nothing about the flinch and whimper he received; instead, he said quietly, "I don't want you going back home, either; I didn't like the way they treated you that day when you were enrolling, and I don't want you going back to that. …I know what it's like, Bel; I've been there, too."

Bel lifted his head to look at the other in disbelief. "You do…?"

Squalo nodded. "If you'll help me, I'll help you get away from them – but you have to trust me first."

The blond shook his head. "I don't trust anyone…"

The man reached out and grabbed Bel's hand to squeeze it tight. "Then at least let me work hard to allow you to stay here longer with me where you're safe. I want to help you, Bel, but the last student I tried to help who was in a situation like yours… The system failed them, and I don't want you to be failed, too."

Bel wiped at his eyes. "I don't want to go back there… I want to stay in your office with you…"

"Then will you let me call your parents and try to make that happen?" Squalo couldn't help but bite at his lip when silence filled the room, but he eventually let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding when Bel gave a tiny nod. He gave a reassuring smile as he stood up. "I'll be right back, Bel. Keep going with your math in the meantime."

Bel nodded again and did as he was told when Squalo left the office. He didn't know how long it had taken for the other to come back, but when he did, he was met by a relieved, albeit tired smile on the man's face. "…"

"They're allowing me to tutor you," Squalo explained. "They said it's okay; they're just going to move your responsibilities to when you get home instead."

It was at these words Bel burst into tears and moved to the other's arms to be embraced tightly. As Squalo held the boy as reassuringly as he could, he couldn't help but wonder; what the _fuck_ had they been doing to this kid…?


End file.
